Carlos Sainz has broken his silence after the confirmation that seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton will replace him in 2025. The Spaniard had already been linked with a potential move to Sauber-Audi, but former 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve suggests that his leverage has significantly diminished due to the impending change.
Former Renault boss Flavio Briatore remarked to the Italian daily Libero, “Sainz will arrive at the winter test very irritated with a great desire for revenge. But I see him fitting in well at Audi, just like his father does.”
Sainz, aged 29, initially issued a brief statement to the media when the news broke, but he faced a barrage of questions during the launch of his new kart brand CS55 this week. “I’m calm, I’m fine,” he assured Sky Italia.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff claimed that Hamilton informed him about the move only last week, but Sainz contends that he had prior knowledge. “From the inside, I knew and saw things before all of you,” Sainz told reporters. “I was prepared, and we are already working on the future, but we know that we have a very important season ahead of us.”
He refutes any suggestion that the news casts doubt over his entire Formula 1 career. “I am very aware of my value as a driver, and for this reason, I am very calm about the future,” said Sainz. “Good things will definitely come, but for now, my goal remains to do my best with Ferrari.”
However, he acknowledges the disappointment of having to part ways with Ferrari at the end of the season. “It’s certainly not ideal to begin the season, but once I put on my helmet in Bahrain and hit the track, my only focus will be on winning the world championship,” he added. “Knowing that it’s my last year with the team is unusual to start a new season, but rest assured, I’ll be thinking only about going as fast as possible.”
When asked if he would offer any advice to Hamilton as the sport’s most successful driver prepares for his move to Maranello, Sainz jokingly responded, “He should try my kart.”